Introduction
In the event of war, there are typically two sides battling against each other over a certain cause. The American Revolution is an example of a war where sides were taken, as it was a colonial revolt that took place between the years 1765 and 1783. 1 Loyalty during the American Revolution is an aspect that describes how the war was fought, as well as its aftermath. Certain groups joined the American Revolution, whereas others chose to remain loyal to Britain, thus the concepts of loyalists and patriots. Loyalty during the American revolutions was influenced by various factors including the notion that the American Revolution lacked a significant number of ideological supporters. Loyalty during the American Revolution was characterized by the taking of sides, which was dependent on the stakes of each side, thus the implications of the war. The aim of this paper, therefore, is to describe loyalty during the American Revolution with regards to who joined the war, those who became loyalist, as well as the reason why people sided the way they did.
The Countries that Joined the American Revolution
The American Revolution, a war between Great Britain and the thirteen original British colonies in North America, was the American war for independence. 2 With Great Britain and the 13 British colonies as the major participants, other group joined in and established their loyalty with either of the two conflicting parties. Therefore, other than Great Britain and the United States, other countries participated in the American Revolution. Some countries participated as allies or mercenaries, while others participated as belligerents , otherwise known as a country or individual that lawfully engages in war. Therefore, those who joined the American Revolution included Great Britain, the 13 British colonies, France, Spain, the Dutch Republic, the Kingdom of Mysore, and Hanover, Hesse-Kassel, Hesse-Hanau, Waldeck, Brunswick, as well as Anhalt-Zerbst, which are all modern day Germany, as well as Ansbach-Bayreuth, which is modern-day Bavaria. France and the Dutch Republic were allies of the 13 British colonies, whereas Hanover, Hesse-Kassel, Hesse-Hanau, Waldeck, Brunswick, Ansbach-Bayreuth, as well as Anhalt-Zerbst, all provided troops to Great Britain, thus supporting the nation. 3 The kingdom of Mysore declared war on Britain in 1780, thus somehow supporting the 13 colonies during the American Revolution. Pan joined the war as an ally to France and not the American colonists.
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The Loyalists and Their Allies
The American Revolution was also a civil war that divided the people of the American colonies into loyalists and patriots. The loyalists during the American Revolution, which was also a Civil War, were American colonists who chose to remain loyal to the British crown and were often referred to as the Royalist, King’s men or Tories during the time of the war. 4 Famous loyalists include Sir John Johnson, William Franklin, Joseph Brant, Thomas Hutchinson, among others. American loyalists were the individuals who were in opposition of the revolution and many even took up arms in a fight against the rebels. The loyalists consisted of a group of individuals who all had vested interest in remaining loyal to the British Crown and their numbers strongest in the same groups. Among the groups is that of officeholders and those who served the British Crown, who had a vested interest in upholding the Crown’s authority. Another group is that of the Anglican clergymen, as well as their parishioners that resided in the North, who had vowed allegiance and obedience to the King of Britain. Other groups included members of German religious sects commonly known as Quakers at the time, conscientious pacifists, and large shareholders especially those operating in the North, as well as wealthy merchant groups who felt the negative implications of the war, thus their choice to join the loyalists. 5 Certain Indians and African Americans also joined the British army, as they had been promised freedom in return for their loyalty of Great Britain’s cause.
Initially, loyalist called for moderation concerning the struggle for colonial rights until the radical colonist denounced them and branded them Tories for not joining them, which led to them becoming active loyalists. The loyalists were large in numbers in the South, in areas such as Pennsylvania and New York. However, loyalist did not constitute a majority in any of the 13 British colonies but had a stronghold in New York than in any other colony. Although the loyalists did not form a body that rose to support the British army, they joined the British army as individuals, as well as formed individual guerrilla units to fight against the revolution. For instance, New York was able to furnish 23,000 troops, which almost the same number from all the other colonies combined. Loyalists were considered traitors by the Patriots, which resulted in vengeful hatred against them from the American revolutionaries. Actions were taken against loyalists including the act by Congress to pass several laws that were meant to frustrate the efforts of the loyalists. 6 For instance, they laws forbade them from joining office. Some laws went as far as disenfranchising them, while others heavily taxed or confiscated their property.
Why People Sided the Way They Did During the American Revolution
The American Revolution, which was also a Civil War, was inspired by a conflict that led to the taking of sides, which was dependent on vested interests of each side, as well as those of the groups that took either side. Regarding the decision to join the war, each side has a particular reason for doing so. For some, it was to exert revenge, while others wanted to overthrow British rule within their own colony or country. However, each party sides and joined in on the war at different times. Some hesitated to side with either of the warring parties at first but joined after a few years into the war, while others were eager to join as early as possible. On one side was the educated group of middle-class patriots, who consisted of merchants, lawyers, as well as planters, taking arms up against the British Crown was based on radical ideas regarding what was deemed the evils of aristocratic privileges. 7 On the other side, the loyalist, who consisted of a less vocal group of the Anglican clergy and crown civil servants, fighting the revolution was based on remaining loyal to the crown, as well as protecting other vested interest such as the investments of the wealthy merchants who were loyalists. There was also a group of colonists who were caught in the middle for not having any political or economic interests in engaging in the revolutionary war.
Other nations that had joined the American Revolution sides with either Great Britain or the 13 British colonies for reasons that were in line with their stakes. For instance, the French sided with the 13 British colonies to exert revenge for losing the Seven Years’ War to the British in 1763. Another reason why the French government sides the way it did was so as it could regain the land it lost during the Seven Years’ War that was located in North America. Spain also sided joined the revolutionary war in an effort to regain the land it lost in North America after losing the Seven Years’ War to Great British. However, Spain joined as an ally to French and not the American colonists, but by signing the Treaty of Aranjuez with France, Spain created a de facto alliance with France and the United States. 8 The Dutch republic joined the war as an ally to the United States because Great Britain had declared war on the nation in an effort to prevent it from joining the League of Armed Neutrality. The kingdom of Mysore was an ally to France since the British were a common enemy, thus its declaration of war on Britain. 9 Some of the allies of Great Britain sided with nation because they were offered protection, had treatises with the country or family affiliation such as Hesse-Kassel, Hesse-Hanau, and Brunswick respectively.
Location and Complexity of Loyalty
Location, for certain nations that entered the revolutionary war, mattered since they could not traverse into certain territories. For instance, as far as Brunswick's soldiers were concerned West Indies was a no-go zone, as it would have been considered undignified, thus the decision by King George the third to only send them to North America. Similarly, the matter of loyalty had its own complexities because not every nation sided with the major warning parties, Great Britain and the 13 British Colonies, but some were allies to nations that chose to be allies of either party. 10 For instance, Spain was an ally of France and not the 13 British colonies.
Conclusion
The American Revolution was certainly characterized by numerous events including the taking of sides, where certain nations became allies of Great Britain, while others supported the 13 British colonies. The aspect of taking sides was attributed to a vested interest that each nation had for taking a particular side including exerting revenge as well as recovering lost land in North America from losing the Seven Year' War. Locations were of importance to certain nations providing support as some would not go into certain territories. In addition to that, loyalty was not necessarily binary as some nations such as Spain, chose to become an ally of France, which was an ally of the 13 British colonies.
Bibliography
Allen, Thomas B. Tories: fighting for the king in America's first civil war . Vol. 26. New York: Harper, 2010.
Carr, Joaquin. The American Revolution . Pelham, NY: Benchmark Education Co, 2011.
Ford, Nancy Gentile. Issues of war and peace . Greenwood Publishing Group, 2002.
Lanning, Michael. American Revolution 100: The Battles, People, and Events of the American War for Independence, Ranked by Their Significance . Sourcebooks, Inc., 2009.
Parkinson, Robert G. The common cause: Creating race and nation in the American Revolution . UNC Press Books, 2016.
1 Carr, Joaquin. The American Revolution . Pelham, NY: Benchmark Education Co, 2011.
2 Carr, Joaquin. The American Revolution . Ibid.
3 Lanning, Michael. American Revolution 100: The Battles, People, and Events of the American War for Independence, Ranked by Their Significance . Sourcebooks, Inc., 2009.
4 Allen, Thomas B. Tories: fighting for the king in America's first civil war . Vol. 26. New York: Harper, 2010.
5 Allen, Thomas B. Tories: fighting for the king in America's first civil war . Vol. 26. New York: Harper, 2010.
6 Allen, Thomas B. Tories: fighting for the king in America's first civil war . Vol. 26. New York: Harper, 2010.
7 Parkinson, Robert G. The common cause: Creating race and nation in the American Revolution . UNC Press Books, 2016.
8 Parkinson, Robert G. The common cause: Creating race and nation in the American Revolution . UNC Press Books, 2016.
9 Parkinson, Robert G. The common cause: Creating race and nation in the American Revolution . Ibid.
10 Ford, Nancy Gentile. Issues of war and peace . Greenwood Publishing Group, 2002.
